Father Korey Homily Podcast

Rich Toward God (Homily – October 20, 2025)

Date: Monday, October 20, 2025
Location: Sforza Chapel, Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major – Rome
Preacher: Rev. Korey R. LaVergne
When the barn is full, security can become an idol. In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns: “Take care to guard against all greed.”
Fr. Korey reflects on the danger of mistaking full barns for a full life, contrasting the rich fool’s illusion of control with Abraham’s radical trust in God’s promise. True wealth, he reminds us, is found in the freedom of poverty of spirit: the kind that opens our hands in worship and mercy.
“Maybe today’s Gospel isn’t asking us to hate possessions. It’s asking us to examine what possesses us. The tragedy isn’t that his barns were full. It’s that his heart was empty.”
From Rome • Saint Mary Major

Pray Without Losing Heart (Homily – October 19, 2025)

Preached by Rev. Korey R. LaVergne at Chiesa S. Maria Immacolata all’Esquilino in Rome on Sunday, October 19, 2025, the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
 
There’s a certain fatigue that comes when you’ve prayed for something for a long time and nothing seems to change. Yet Jesus tells us to “pray always without becoming weary.” Like the persistent widow before the unjust judge, we’re invited to keep showing up—to pray even when heaven feels silent.
Moses needed Aaron and Hur to hold up his arms in prayer. We, too, need the Church to help us persevere. Scripture forms that endurance; the Eucharist sustains it. Because in every Mass, we meet the One who never gave up on us. The question is: will we give up on Him?

Sent Two by Two (Homily – October 18, 2025)

Preached by Rev. Korey R. LaVergne in the Saint Timothy of Antioch Chapel inside the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Rome – Saturday, October 18, 2025.
There’s a moment near the end of Saint Paul’s life that feels so human—he’s cold, lonely, and waiting for his cloak and parchments. Yet even there, he writes with confidence: “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength.”
In this homily, Fr. Korey reflects on how Christ continues to send His disciples two by two, just as He did in the Gospel. The mission is not about making a name for ourselves—it’s about preparing the way for the One who is coming.
When we travel light and bring peace instead of control, the mission never fails. Whether you’re called to visit the lonely, reconcile a relationship, or speak peace into a restless home, Christ has already gone ahead of you. The only question is: will you go?
Recorded at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Rome.

Credited as Righteous (Homily – October 17, 2025)

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch – October 17, 2025
Preached in the Side Chapel of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, Assisi, Italy
In a world that measures worth by performance, Saint Paul reminds us that righteousness cannot be earned. It can only be received. “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Fr. Korey LaVergne reflects on how faith is less about moral perfection and more about honest surrender. Hypocrisy tries to look holy; faith lets God make us holy. When we stop performing, we can finally start confessing.
“Faith isn’t about getting it perfect. It’s about letting mercy have the last word.”

Justified by Grace (Homily – October 16, 2025)

Preached by Fr. Korey LaVergne in the side chapel of the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy, this Thursday homily from the 28th Week in Ordinary Time (October 16, 2025) reflects on Saint Paul’s teaching in Romans 3:21–30:
 
“All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God, but they are justified freely by His grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus.”
In a world driven by performance and achievement, Fr. Korey reminds us that salvation is not a prize earned but a mercy received. Grace levels the field—bringing both the prodigal and the Pharisee to the same table. True holiness begins when we stop boasting and start believing that “with the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.”
Recorded on pilgrimage in Florence, Italy
 

Justice and Love (Homily – October 15, 2025)

Wednesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time — October 15, 2025
Saint Edward Catholic Church
Even experts in religion can forget about God. Jesus warns the Pharisees about mistaking religious precision for real conversion: “You pay tithes of mint and rue and every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.” Faith isn’t measured by appearance but by the fruit it bears in charity. God doesn’t grade us on externals but on love—justice joined to mercy, truth carried gently.

Glory Exchanged (Homily – October 14, 2025)

Tuesday: 28th Week in Ordinary Time — October 14, 2025
Saint Edward Catholic Church | Saint Thomas Mission Chapel
 
There’s a quiet kind of idolatry that never looks scandalous from the outside. It’s the subtle worship of created things—our image, our comfort, our success—when gratitude fades and self takes center stage. Saint Paul calls it the great exchange: trading the glory of God for the likeness of an image. Jesus exposes it in today’s Gospel, not to condemn, but to heal: “Give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” True worship begins again when mercy flows from a clean heart.

Hear and Keep (Homily – October 11, 2025)

Saturday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary TimeOctober 11, 2025 – Saint Edward Catholic Church
A woman in the crowd calls out, “Blessed is the womb that carried You!” Jesus answers with something deeper: “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.”This isn’t a dismissal of Mary, but an invitation to become like her.Every act of faith begins by listening and ends in obedience.As this week closes and Sunday draws near, we ask: what Word have I heard but not yet kept?Because blessing doesn’t come from admiration. It comes from obedience.

Stronger Than the Strong (Homily – October 10, 2025)

There’s a holy alarm going off in today’s readings.The prophet Joel calls out, “Sound the trumpet in Zion!”—a cry to wake the people from spiritual numbness. And in the Gospel, Jesus warns that when evil is cast out, the heart cannot remain empty. Deliverance is not about emptiness; it’s about fullness. Christ, the Stronger One, enters our lives to drive out darkness and fill the soul with His Spirit.
“Grace drives out evil, but virtue keeps it out.”Every Mass is a victory cry: The Stronger One is here.

Ask, Seek, Knock (Homily – October 9, 2025)

Thursday: 27th Week in Ordinary Time – October 9, 2025Saint Edward Catholic Church – Richard, Louisiana
When prayer feels pointless, it’s often because we’ve lost sight of who we’re talking to. God isn’t a vending machine—He’s a Father. Jesus reminds us that the one who keeps asking, seeking, and knocking isn’t trying to wear God down but allowing grace to form a heart that won’t give up on love.
The readings today (Malachi 3:13–20 and Luke 11:5–13) call us to move from cynicism to faith—to keep praying even when heaven feels silent. Because the Father never forgets those who belong to Him, and every unanswered prayer is being transformed into a deeper gift: the Holy Spirit.
“Every unanswered prayer is being reformed into that greater gift.”